OpenAI buys HealthTech startup Torch for $60 million
OpenAI has acquired health technology startup Torch. According to CNBC, the purchase price is around $60 million. Torch develops a unified medical memory for AI systems designed to consolidate patient health data – typically stored in isolation across different providers and in various formats – in one place.
Torch’s employees will transition to OpenAI as part of the acquisition. Torch CEO Ilya Abyzov wrote in a post on X: “I can’t imagine a better next chapter than making our technology and ideas available to hundreds of millions of people who already use ChatGPT every week for health questions.” The startup joins OpenAI to realize its own vision “at a scale we could never have achieved alone,” according to a blog post from the company.
According to reports, OpenAI is actually spending around $100 million total on the acquisition: $60 million as an immediate payment, while the remaining amount is intended in the form of company shares to retain employees, according to The Information.
ChatGPT Health is coming
The Torch acquisition comes just days after OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Health—a new feature that will allow users to connect their medical records and wellness apps with the AI. This is OpenAI’s direct response to the clearly enormous demand in this area. Currently, 230 million people per week already ask the chatbot health-related questions. The feature is not yet available in the EU. The AI company also announced several enterprise products for healthcare organizations.
Aggressive M&A strategy against Google and Anthropic
In December, OpenAI poached Albert Lee from Google to lead its corporate development department—a signal that the company continues to seek M&A targets to gain an advantage over rivals like Google and Anthropic. OpenAI completed several acquisitions in 2025, including the acquisition of Jony Ive’s AI devices startup io for $6.5 billion.
The Torch acquisition fits into OpenAI’s strategic push in healthcare and underscores its ambition to deliver AI-powered health solutions to hundreds of millions of ChatGPT users. With the integration of Torch’s technology, OpenAI could strengthen its position in the fragmented medical data market.
